Getting Your Dream Job

As an idealistic high school student in Santa Monica, California, I was at a job fair… and panicking. Going from stand to stand hearing about each profession – dentist, surveyor, paralegal – I felt suffocated. Each profession was noble, but I couldn’t see myself doing any of it. Did “growing up” mean abandoning my idealism? I refused to believe that I was meant to leave behind so many dimensions of my personality and passion in order to work 9-to-5 in a profession that spoke to none of them.

I tried to console myself: If I am a unique individual, there must be some unique job that I am supposed to do. If I can get clarity on what I’m passionate about, if I dare to dream of the difference I can make in this world, perhaps my dream job will appear.

Now, 20 years later, there are hundreds of job categories that didn’t exist back then. Many people must have reacted to the high school job fair like me, and their “dream job” has since magically appeared.

I have a theory:

The limits of our belief in what we can do, limits the job we eventually find.

We have two options: Either fit into a box of existing options, or believe we were given an instinct to improve the world for good reason. Then we can endeavor to clarify what exactly it is we are passionate about, and how we can use our talents to achieve that.

He took a job he cared about that barely paid the bills.

I saw this with my brother who refused to take “high paying jobs” because they lacked idealism. Instead, he took a job he cared about that barely paid the bills. Ten years later he runs an organization that partners with the White House on major national initiatives that has changed public perception about important social other issues. Steve Jobs dropped out of college and attended calligraphy classes; decades later it gave him the skill and confidence to pioneer Apple’s sleek design.

When we dare to believe, we create our own “job possibility."

I told my theory to a rabbi.

“God is an equal opportunity employer," he said.

“What do you mean?”

“The world is a mess. We have a partnership with God to help fix it. Anyone who feels the pain of what is going on in the world and wants to do something about it, God will take him for the job.”

“So what does that have to do with being an equal opportunity employer?” I asked.

The rabbi explained: Equal opportunity means employing people who aren’t always the most qualified. God doesn’t especially care if you are the “most qualified person.” He picks the person who is bothered enough and wants to do something to make the world a better place. Once you show you are serious, He’ll make you successful – even if you lack many of the skills needed.

Upon his release, Gilad Shalit told reporters that he always believed he would see his family again. This is an astonishing statement for someone who spent five years in near-isolation, never knowing if that day would be his last. It is this strength of belief that allows the seemingly possible to happen – the exchange of one Jew for 1,000 prisoners.

Similarly, the first step to finding one’s dream job is to simply believe that God has a special plan for you, and that He can make anything happen.

5 Steps to Your Dream Job

God has unlimited funds. He makes you breathe, makes your heart beat, makes the sun rise. He is the ultimate Venture Capitalist.

You can get a job in God’s Fix the World Corporation, but first you need to know what specific “job” you want to create.

Come up with some potential job ideas where you could address this cause and use your strengths in an idealistic way (or get trained in skills you do not yet possess).

Next, you actually need to apply. Every resume must catch the interest of potential employer. If you were putting together an application for your dream job, here’s what you would need to think through:

1) If I had 10 billion dollars to change the world, and could do only one project with that money, what would I do? (e.g. create a cultural movement to teach kids why it is “fun to be good”)

________________________

2) Why does this cause speak to me? (e.g. I wish I could have used my power of imagination from an early age in envisioning how good the world could be.)

________________________

3) What natural strengths do I have to invest in pursuing this cause? (e.g. creativity, perseverance, salesmanship)

________________________

4) Often the first step in showing we are determined to make a difference, is to do what does not come natural to us. What new strengths and skills do I need to make this happen? (e.g. dealing with the small details, patience, organization skills)

________________________

5) Go back to your $10 billion cause. Seeing as you don’t currently have the money to pull off your plan, what is one thing you can do right now with your existing resources of time and money. (e.g. use creative ideas to teach my own children one hour a week “why its fun to be good”)

_________________________

Making it Real

When you have completed your plan, it is time to actually file the application. You do this by stating out loud: “I believe that God has a great plan for me." Are you saying it with zest? So it like you really mean it – even if you have to fake it the first 10 times.

The next and final step is to open the gates of blessing by doing this one action step. This expresses your confidence that God can do anything (even for little old you).

The journey begins with one step.

When the Jews were trapped between the Egyptians and the Red Sea, one man – Nachshon Ben Aminadav – stepped into the sea and it split. To see the sea split in our own lives, we have to take that first step to implement the idea we believe in. By clarifying to ourselves what we are passionate about, and believing that we have something we can do that will make the world better, we open channels of possibility.

However, we only see change happen when we are willing to make that first uncomfortable step. Doing that one action – however inconsequential it may seem in achieving your dream – Is what will help the sea split.

If you begin with this one step, you will begin to see your life coming together in such a way that you’ll emerge as the “right man for the job,” in a cause you are passionate about, and in an area where you can really make a difference.

All articles I have read here are interesting. I wonder what Jews do right, they just speak to my core!

(12)
3d,
September 26, 2012 12:23 PM

I like your input

I personally not jewish,i believe in god,but i havent found the right religion yet,so im studying.thats how i found this article.just wanted to say its very inspiring.

(11)
Dan,
November 27, 2011 2:16 AM

Yashar Koach

Thank you so much for this article. I have to admit, I never dreamed I'd be doing what I'm doing now. I certainly don't feel qualified to do it. But you're right, G-d created us, and He has plans for us, and if we accept that we are in His hands, and want to do what we can to improve the world, G-d will lead us to where we need to go. I've always found things just fell into my lap when my heart was in the right place. Although I may not be the most talented at what I do, I find that my talents are just what I need to get the job done. And you're right, too, about those first steps being a doozy! Just remember whenever you're about to put your feet into unknown waters, to take a deep breath. You may need it (before the water splits).

(10)
Mark Andrew Beach,
November 24, 2011 4:23 PM

I wish I had understood this 30 years ago

I went into accounting because I did not have the confidence I could make it in show business as a performer. Tragically, I am the fourth generation of good accountants that were all musicians and performers in their own right. Ironically, I worked a number of years for Disney in a finance position, as opposed to a creative one. Was this God's way of offering me a position in show business, even though I might have done something differently if I had stayed true to my passion? Perhaps.
In the end, the key is to find your passion and stay with it. As I have passed the half-century mark in my life, You can bet that I am learning those lessons and re-directing my role in this world very differently now.
You can read about other lessons learned at my blog - scenicroadtoriches.

(9)
Ahuva,
November 22, 2011 8:54 PM

yes!

Just recently, as i was finishing my BA in computer science, did i decide that even though the market is flooded, i want to teach!
Where i came from it requires a lot of schooling, so there for i am starting all over....
But i feel and know this is where i can contribute best, and am determined to succeed.
Thank you for the encouragement!!

Aviya,
November 23, 2011 3:37 AM

A Great Recommendation for you-who feels lost

Please read "The Garden of Emunah by Rabbi Shalom Arush and you will find healing and clarity in all areas of life.

(8)
Anonymous,
November 22, 2011 12:52 PM

Wish I had your attitude

I find the most difficult part of any test, especially when it comes to struggling to find one's niche in life, is having a positive attitude. Clearly every person possesses a vast storehouse of inner potential, but it seems the two most important traits needed to harness that potential and make it actual are a positive attitude and perserverance. I certainly wish I possessed those qualities to the degree the author demonstrates through this article. It seems like some people have an easier time believing in themselves; I'm not one of those people, but since the alternative to not believing in myself is despair, I'll try to keep in mind the author's good advice.

(7)
Vittoria Hana,
November 21, 2011 10:34 PM

Trying

I am a doctor and I left my country to come in the US 6 years ago as a professor of cardiology. These have been 6 years of frustrations during which all my dreams disappeared. I have tried over and over to find another job without any success because I am "overqualified" nor not enough qualified since I lack of the American Board certifications. I know HaShem has a plan for me I am just not able to clarify it.

Lea,
November 22, 2011 8:48 PM

MAY YOU FIND A JOB QUICK!

i wish there was somthing i can do to help...
but Hashem can, and in the merit of your beleife in him, may it be all clear, and easy

(6)
Anonymous,
November 21, 2011 6:34 PM

I wish it were true

As someone who has followed the path of working diligently to gain an education and thrown all of myself into every job I've ever had over the past 10 years, I do not agree with the author's optimistic sentiment. As a job seeker, my qualifications nor my desire to commit to a career in an area where I feel I can work to improve the world seem to be valuable traits in the workforce.

(5)
Aliza,
November 21, 2011 3:04 AM

Thank you for this article

This article just helped me put everything into perspective. Hashem is behind everything and it's just a really great reminder. Thank you. This article speaks volumes about each person's unique place in the world.

(4)
Anonymous,
November 20, 2011 5:25 PM

Beautiful idea, but not realistic

I have been an RN for a couple of years, I am trying to specialize, and no one will give me a job, because there are so many RN's in the jobplace now. I have tried nursing homes, schools, hospitals, agencies, etc.
I am so tired of trying, eventhough I know that Hashem has a plan for me, it is so disappointing to go out on interview after interview and not get hired because you don't have as much experience as someone else more qualified.
I believe this is a nice idea, but not useful in the real world.

(3)
Elizabeth,
November 20, 2011 3:02 PM

one quibble

Thanks for a very thoughtful article. But, I disagree with your interpretation of the rabbi's comment about God being an equal opportunity employer. You said, "Equal opportunity means employing people who aren’t always the most qualified." On the contrary, I think EO means choosing the best person for the job without regard to superficial elements that appear to be disqualifying or limiting. In that light, the rabbi's comment means that God sees innate qualifications without regard to what we might regard as limitations.

Anonymous,
November 20, 2011 9:52 PM

right on!

Wholeheartedly agree!

Miriam,
November 21, 2011 12:24 PM

Read the article again!

I think you are missing the point of the article. The author is expressing that the Rabbi conveyed to him that when you observe people who have changed the world in a great way they are not neccessarily the most talented people for the job. Instead, they are the people who cared enough, and were determined enough, to get the job done.